Bug FAQGolden Plushback
Palpada mexicana · Order: Diptera · Family: Syrphidae
All available sources describe it only as a syrphid fly without mentioning any harm to people, pets, homes, or plants.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Palpada mexicana belongs to the syrphid fly family Syrphidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
There is no specific information indicating it is a household pest.
Source: Wikipedia
How to get rid of it
No control methods are mentioned in the sources.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It lives in habitats typical for syrphid flies.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Its diet is that of a typical syrphid fly.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The life cycle follows the usual stages of syrphid flies.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
It is active during the seasons when syrphid flies are observed.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is a syrphid fly species found in its native range.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It may be confused with other syrphid flies, but no distinguishing details are provided.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 9 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Texas, Arizona, Maine, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Georgia, Indiana.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What kind of insect is the Golden Plushback?
It is a syrphid fly, scientifically named Palpada mexicana.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Syrphidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palpada_mexicana
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.